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Chief Executive Officer
Kevin is an accomplished CEO who has generated significant sales and profit growth for global medical device and healthcare information technology (IT) companies, including Carestream Health, Kodak Health Group and General Electric Medical Systems. He joined Breg in March 2022 to lead our company to a new phase of growth and expansion, based on his reputation for creating and commercializing disruptive technologies, optimizing company performance and leading customer-focused initiatives. He is also skilled in Lean and Six Sigma.
Kevin earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics at the University of Wisconsin. He and his wife, Amy, recently relocated from Pittsford, NY to Carlsbad, CA. They have two children in college. In his spare time, Kevin enjoys snow and water skiing, fitness activities and time with his family.
General Counsel, Secretary & Compliance Officer
Paula joined Breg in 2014 and has an extensive background in compliance and regulatory affairs in the medical industry. Some of her main duties include ensuring Breg adheres to all industry regulations and policies, managing the Compliance and Audit teams, and negotiating and drafting contracts. Prior to joining Breg, she served as the VP, Legal and Regulatory Affairs, Secretary for United Orthopedic Group, which merged with Breg in 2014, and as the Attorney, Compliance Officer for St. Jude Medical Inc.’s Neuromodulation Division.
Paula enjoys spending time with her friends and family, especially her two children. She enjoys traveling, fitness, tennis, fashion, interior design and college football (her teams are Texas A&M and Notre Dame). Paula currently serves on the board of trustees of a private, Christian school in Dallas and previously served six years on the board of trustees for the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, which she continues to support through volunteer work. Paula is a native Texan and hails from a small town in northeast Texas.
Chief Information Officer
George has worked in the private industry (medical device, pharma, distribution, high-tech and other industries) with BD (Becton Dickinson / CareFusion / Cardinal Health) and consulting (with KPMG and Arthur Andersen). He has significant experience running IT programs and organizations in environments of all sizes; most recently being responsible for the IT environment at the MMS business unit of BD. George will support the company’s vision and strategy to become the market leader in the non-operative sports medicine domain, by delivering innovative and cost effective IT solutions.
George is very proud of his three adult children and he is still constantly amazed by how much he can learn from them. He loves everything technology related and is passionate about space travel and SciFi. His bucket list includes going to the Moon and sailing around the world. In his spare time, George loves watching a great movie or reading; he’s a big fan of Star Trek and he’s a published author!
Chief Human Resource Officer
Ashley brings more than 10 years of experience cultivating robust corporate cultures and serving in a variety of key Human Resources and training roles.
Ashley graduated with her B.B.A. in Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management from the University of North Texas. Her degree includes International Management and Business Policy, which she earned in a European Study Abroad program. Ashley is a Professional in Human Resources, PHR; certified trainer in Situational Leadership;, master trainer for Culture Partners Culture of Accountability framework; and is also certified in Predictive Index.
On a personal level, she is a committed dog mom of a spunky Yorkie named King, and in her free time, she enjoys traveling and entertaining family and friends.
Chief Financial Officer
Nikki is a Certified Public Accountant with ten years of experience in public accounting and more than seven years working in the life sciences and medical device industries.
Before joining Breg in 2020, Nikki was the financial controller of Prometheus Biosciences and the senior manager of assurance services at RSM. She holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Accounting and Financial Management degrees, both from the University of San Diego.
Hailing from a small town in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, Nikki likes to spend most of her free time outdoors with her two young sons, teaching them to ride all-terrain vehicles, swim, and ride bikes.
She’s also a foodie who enjoys unwinding with good TV shows—she’s always looking for recommendations—and traveling whenever she gets the opportunity.
Chief Commercial Officer
Ray Fujikawa oversees sales, marketing, and billing teams, driving revenue growth and customer success. Ray is leading a commercial organization that delivers the best customer experience in the industry and drives the fastest growth with the most efficient cost structure.
Ray built Breg’s commercial organization over fifteen years before he left in 2013 to become President of Orthofix’s spine division. After five years at the helm there, he retired and then eventually took a position with Aspen, as senior VP of commercial strategy and business development.
Ray lives in Texas and enjoys golf whenever he gets the chance to play—which isn’t often since rejoining Breg, he says!
Chief Business Management and Innovation Officer
Steve Ingel is a highly accomplished executive with more than thirty-five years of experience in the orthopedic device industry. As the Chief Business Management and Innovation Officer at Breg, Steve leads the company’s efforts to develop and commercialize innovative products and solutions that meet the needs of patients and healthcare providers. He is also responsible for evaluating potential partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions.
Prior to joining Breg, Steve owned a Southern California-based medical distribution business; he served as Western Regional Sales Manager at Professional Care Products (ProCare); and he joined DJO—then Smith & Nephew DonJoy, now Enovis—after acquisition of ProCare. He spent more than twenty-eight years in C-suite roles for DJO leading multiple divisions and playing a key role in developing and launching many successful products. He also served as the CEO of Precision Medical.
Steve is the son of a medical sales professional, so he effectively grew up in the industry. He and his wife of 32 years, Tracy, are longtime residents of Carlsbad, Calif. They are the proud parents of three grown children: Ashley, 30, Tyler, 27, and Michael, 25. Steve fondly refers to his family as his “foundation.”
Vice President of Operations
Sergio is an accomplished operations leader responsible for Breg’s supply chain, including manufacturing operations, strategic planning, and sourcing. He has extensive experience in the medical device industry—both in the US and Mexico—at Baxter, CareFusion, Cardinal Health, and Össur.
Sergio joined Breg in 2021 and has embraced and integrated Breg’s culture throughout the organization’s manufacturing operations and has committed to Excellence! and continuous improvement.
He and his team are accelerating progress toward a “Breg Operating Model” that will standardize processes and procedures at every Breg facility and serve as an example of best-in-class operations for healthcare suppliers and manufacturers.
During his free time, Sergio enjoys cycling, finding the best wine and coffee bars with his wife, and attending shows at small music venues. His son is attending college, and his daughter is a college graduate working in San Diego’s biotech industry.
VP Quality Assurance & Regulatory Compliance
Eduardo Blanco brings extensive leadership experience in Quality Assurance & Regulatory Compliance to the Breg team having worked in the medical device industry for over 25 years. Since joining Breg in 2013, Eduardo has successfully developed and established an effective and efficient quality management system focused on compliance and delivering a positive customer experience in support of our customer-centric mission. He has also served as the functional lead for the integration projects of multiple key acquisitions and mergers, most notably the Biomet and UOG integrations.
Prior to joining Breg, Eduardo served in various leadership roles at Integra Lifesciences Corporation, where he was involved in supporting the company’s acquisitions and integration strategy with responsibility for multiple facilities.
Eduardo lives in San Diego with his wife and enjoys traveling and walking their three dogs, Louis, Mina and Tikkis.
Vice President, Distribution and Logistics
Rich oversees Breg’s distribution centers, field inventory, and customer fulfillment activities. He has over 30 years of supply chain management experience that spans warehousing, transportation, supply planning, distribution network planning, information technology (IT), and supply chain transformation.
He brings a track record of successfully leading distribution turnaround, redesign, and IT implementation projects which have yielded significant improvements in perfect order fulfillment, efficiency, and inventory management.
From early in his career, Rich held leadership positions in operations at distribution centers for medical and food products with a focus on operational efficiency and customer service. He has worked in tactical and strategic roles with Becton Dickinson, the JM Smucker Company, and other companies with distribution networks of similar size and complexity.
When Rich and his wife Lara are not traveling or hiking in national parks, he enjoys playing the piano or spending time with his adult child and young grandchildren.
